Apparatus for use in connection with strip material



Dec- 15, 1931. A. POTDEVIN 1,836,279

APPARATUS FOR USE IN' CONNECTION WITH STRIP MATERIAL Filed March 24, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR A. POTDEVIN Dec. 15, 1931.

APPARATUS FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH STRIP MATERIAL Filed March 24. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Dec. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADOLPH'POTDEVIN, OF GARDEN CITY, YORK, ASSIGN R TO POTDEVIN' MACHINE COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A. CORPORA ON OF NEW YORK APPARATUS FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH STRIP MATERIAL Application filed March 24, 1928. Serial No. 264,437.

Thi invention relates to an improved apparatus for use in connection with strip material and has for an object the provision of an apparatus to permanently increase or decrease the surface speed of a pair of feed rollers by which the web or strip of material is fed, in conjunction with means to temporarily increase or decrease the surface speed of these feed rollers, these changes in speed being accomplished while the machine is running or in operation.

The apparatus of this invention is adapted for many uses among which I may mention, by way of example, the paper bag industry. In this industry it is often necessary for the bags to be printed, the printing being applied to the paper on a separate machine and prior to formation of the bags. Difficulty has ieen experienced heretofore in feeding the printed web properly with relation to the next operation in the manufacture of the bags, such as cutting the bag tubes to length. This difficulty may be due to atmospheric conditions, causing the web to lengthen or shorten; irregular printing interval due to faulty adjustment or feeding of web during printing operation, and also slipping in the tube forming operation prior to the cutting-off operation. Again when the machine is being set up in the first instance, for a certain job, the paper web is adjusted approximately and then set in operation. After a few bags are run through it is necessary to stop the machine and make a second adjustment. It may be necessary to make several adjustments before the correct setting is attained. ()f course this incurs expense not only in waste of bags. but in time lost. Again when it is desired to increase or decrease the distance between the end of the bag and the printed matter on the bag for example the work of adjusting must all be done over again with the same loss in time and materials as was experienced in the first instance.

The present apparatus provides means \i'hereb v all adjustments relative to printing in relation to cutting can be accurately effected-while the machine is running, thereby efi'ecting a saving both in time and materials, and reducing the problem of properly setting the machine for the above mentioned purpose to a simple one.

As before mentioned, my improved apparatus is adapted for uses other than the paper bag industry, this particular field being discussed in the following detailed description merely by way of illustration and for clarity.

In the accompanying drawings wherein I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention Fig. 1 shows the same in plan with certain parts broken away to show details of construction;

Fig. 2 is a view in part sectional elevation; and

Fig. 3 is an electric control capable of use instead of the hand control illustrated in F i s. 1 and 2.

Feferring to the drawings in detail and first of all to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 designates the main drive shaft of the machine driven from any suitable source of power as an electric motor by a belt 2 or other suitable drive, through a pulley 3 fixed to the drive shaft 1. The drive shaft mounts a ear 4 keyed or otherwise rigidly secured t e-reto, as indicated at 5. The feed rolls for the material, such as a paper web 6, comprise upper rolls 7 and lower rolls 8 geared together, the web of material to be fed passing between these rolls and advanced thereby from right to left, as viewed in Fig. 1.

Mounted on a stub shaft 9 at one side of the machine is a gear 10, this gear meshing with the driven gear 4 already referred to. The stub shaft 9 also mounts a sprocket wheel 11, rigidly secured to gear 10, this sprocket wheel driving one of the sprocket chains 12 of a Reeves drive, shown at 13 in Fig. 2. This Reeves drive comprises two shafts -14 and 15, respectively, lying parallel with the main drive shaft 1 and with the shafts carrying the feed rollers 7 and 8. The shafts are mounted in suitable bearings in the frame 16 of the drive. Intermediate the side arms of this frame 16 are two cone discs 17 and 18 carried by the shafts 14 and 15, respectively. The belt of this drive, which is of usual construction, is designated 19; As is customary also in Reeves drives, adjustment of the belt 19 with respect to the sides of the discs 17 and 18 can be effected so as to vary the linear speed of the belt. Such adjustment is diagrammatically illustrated in the drawings of this application as comprising an adjusting member 20, adjustable by hand wheel 21 and adapted to actuate simultaneously a pair of arms 22 and 23, these arms being connected to the heads of the discs 17 and 18 as indicated at 24 and 25, and fulcrumed at 26. Obviously as the adjusting member 20 is actuated the discs 17 and 18 will be correspondingly shifted with a resulting shifting of the belt 19, the belt speed being thereby increased or decreased as the case may be depending upon the direction in which the adjustment is made. All of this is conventional drive mechanism and has been referred to merely for the sake of clarity of description.

The chain 27 of the Reeves drive is carried by the sprocket 28 on the shaft 15 and by a sprocket 29,0n the shaft 30, both shafts extending transversely of the machine.

The upper end of the shaft 30, as viewed in Fig. 1, carries the upper bevel gear 32 of an upper differential, the sprocket 29 being keyed to this gear as shown at 33. The lower bevel gear 34 of this upper differential is keyed to the shaft 30 as shown at 35. Intermediate these two bevel gears are the differential pinions 36 and 37 as shown in Fig. 2,

these pinions being mounted on stub shafts 38 and 39, respectively, carried by the differential housing 40. Secured to the differential housing is a Worm wheel 41, adapted to be actuated by a worm 42, mounted on adjusting shaft 43 and rotated by a. hand wheel 44. This hand adjustment is shown merely by way of illustration, inasmuch as adjustment of the shaft 43 may readily be effected through an electric motor, as will be pointed out hereinafter.

The differential mechanism just described, as above pointed out, is carried at the upper end of the shaft 30. The lower end of this shaft is provided with a bevel gear 45 in constant mesh with a bevel gear 46 on a short shaft 47, this latter shaft carrying a worm 48 on its opposite end.

The lower feed rollers 8 above referred to are mounted on a shaft 49 extending transversely of the machine, the lower end of this shaft carrying a housing 50 of a lower differential (see Fig. 1). A worm wheel 51 meshing with the worm 48 is keyed to this housing. The housing 50 carries differential pinions 52 and 53 mounted on stub shafts 54 and 55. Below these pinions and in constant mesh therewith is lower differential gear 56 (Fig. 1) keyed to the shaft 49 as indicated at 57, while above these pinions is the upper differential gear 58.

Extending transversely of the machine and adjacent the shaft 30 and lying parallel therewith is a shaft 59 carrying at its upper end a gear 60 and at its lower end a change gear 61. The gear 60 is in mesh with an intermediate gear 62 which also meshes with the gear 10, while the change gear 61 is in mesh with an intermediate gear 63 meshing with a gear 64 on the lower end of the shaft 49 and keyed to the upper differential gear 58 of the lower differential mechanism of Fig. 1.

In the operation of the apparatus above described it will be seen that rotation of the drive shaft 1 in an anticlockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, will drive the gear 10 clockwise, which through gears 62, 60 and 61 will effect rotation of the shaft 59 in a clockwise direction. With the shaft 59 and gear 61 running clockwise, the gear 63- will be moved anti-clockwise,and gear 64 clockwise carrying with it the upper gear 58 of the lower differential. This movement of the upper gear 58 of the lower differential, through pinions 52 and 53 tends to rotate the lower gear 56 of the lower differential and the shaft 49, together with the lower feed roller 8, in an anti-clockwise direction and thisroller being geared directly to the u per roller 7 the same will moved in a 0 00kwise direction with the result that the web of paper or other material 6 will be fed from right to left, as viewed in Fi 1.

Rotation of the gear 10, as a ove described, in a clockwise direction imparts through the chain 12 movement in a. clockwise direction to the sprocket 31 of the Reeves drive, this movement being transmitted to the sprocket 28 of the Reeves drive through the belt 19; and sprocket 29 will rotate clockwise. Such rotation of the sprocket 29 will impart rotation in the same direction to the upper ear 32 of the upper differential of Fig. 1, w ich movement is transmitted through the differential pinions 36 and 37 mounted on the normally stationary housing 40 to the lower ear 34 of the upper differential of Fig. 1. his gear being keyed to the shaft 30 as shown at 35, shaft 30 will be caused to rotate in an anticlockwise direction. With the shaft 30 running anti-clockwise the gear 45 carried thereby will cause the gear 46 and shaft 47 to rotate toward the observer, as viewed in Fig. 1, to rotate the worm wheel 51 clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 2, and this worm wheel being keyed to the housing 50 of the lower differential of Fig. 1, the housing 50 will be rotated correspondingly.

The action, therefore, of the two drives traced in the last two preceding paragraphs, gives the initial motion to the rollers 7 and 8 in the proper direction to advance the web 6 to the left, as viewed in Fig. 1.

As was pointed out at the outset, it is desired to have the web 6 travel a certain fixed distance with reference to the succeeding operation to be performed on the web, such as cutting off the web to length. For example, in the makin of paper bags the paper Web from which t e bags are made before being fed into the machine at all are printed and it is necessary to cut the tubes off in certain predetermined relation to the printed matter on the web. As also explained the paper tends to contract and expand under atmospheric and other conditions so that under certain conditions the printing might be perfectly satisfactory with the reference to the point at which the paper is cut off, while under other conditions the paper may be too far advanced or not sufficiently advanced at the time of the cutting operation with the result that the printing would be either too near the end of the bag or too far away, as the case may be.

The mechanism now to be described enables the driving mechanism to be so adjusted as to register the printing on the tubes properly with respect to the cutting-off operation. Assuming, for example, that it is found when the machine is started in operation or while the machine is in operation that the ba g tubes are not being cut off with proper relation to the printing thereon, this can be taken care of by movement of the hand wheel 44. Rotation of this wheel in one direction or the other will rotate the housing of the upper differential, this housing normally being stationary.

Inasmuch as the differential pinions 36 and 37 of the upper differential are carried by this housing, it is obvious that movement of the housing will effect a change in the setting of the gears 32 and 34. In other words the shaft 30 will be increased or decreased in speed momentarily, to effect a corresponding change in speed of the housing of the lower differential, with a corresponding momentary change in speed of the feed rollers. In other words the paper web will be i shifted with respect to the cutting-off operation, to cause the tubes to be severed either nearer to or further from the printing thereon, depending upon whether the feed rollers were speeded up or slowed down. It will be understood that this change in speed is only momentary, and that after movement of the hand wheel has ceased the feed rollers will rotate at their normal surface speed.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided an apparatus adapted for handling strip material such as a paper web in bag making machinery in which means are provided for effecting an adjustment of the web while the machine is running to vary the position of the web with respect to cutting-off mechanism for instance, whereby the length of material cut off at each operation may be varied. This is of advantage, of course, in the paper bag industry where preprinted webs of paper are converted into bags, to locate the print in the desired position on the bag, this being accomplished while the machine is in operation.

The present invention, however, provides an additional very important feature in that while the machine is in operation the paper web or other material being operated upon may be shifted or adjusted permanently without however varying the length of material being cut off at each cutting-off operation to properly adjust the point at which the web is severed with respect to printed matter carried on the web for example.

It will be seen also that the first adjustment mentioned is of such a character that the web will be momentarily increased or decreased in linear speed, while in the second instance the increase or decrease in linear speed of the web is permanent. In other words, adjustment of the hand wheel 44 to effect rotation of the housing 40 of the upper differential in one direction or the other effects only a momentary increase or decrease in speed of the shaft 30 so as to adjust the setting of the web 6 with respect to the succeeding operation and thereafter the web will advance at its normal speed but in a different position relatively to the succeeding o eration, such as the cutting-off operation. hile adjustment of the hand wheel 21 of the Reeves drive will change the ratio of the pulleys 17 and 18 in effect thereby increasing or decreasing, as the case may be, the linear speed of the web 6 permanently so that the length of the material cut off will be permanently varied.

I have described the above apparatus as being adjusted by hand. This same adjustment can be effected by mechanism such as illustrated in Fig. 3 wherein the hand wheel 44 has been substituted by a reversible electric motor M controlled as to direction of rotation by a switch S. Obviously operation of the switch S to close the circuit to the motor M in one direction or the other will effect a corresponding rotation of the housing 40 through the worm wheel 41 and worm 42,

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exactly as in the ease of operation of the worm 42 by the hand wheel 44.

It is evident that various modifications may be made in the construction above described within the purview of this invention.

It will be understood, of course, that the expressions upper and lower employed in connection with the differentials above referred to are merely relative expressions employed for clarity of description.

What I claim is 1. In a machine for handling strip material. the combination of feed rollers for advancing the strip, a prime mover for driving said feed rollers. means for increasing or decreasing selectively the surface speed of said rollers, and means for permanently varying the surface speed of said rollers, each of said III) rial, a-

means being operative while maintaining constant the speed of the prime mover.

2. In a machine for handling strip material, the combination of a pair of feed rollers for advancing the strip, means for varying the surface speed of said rollers momentarily to vary the setting of the strip, and means for varying said surface speed permanently, each of said means being operative While the machine is in operation.

3. In a machine for handling strip material, the combination of means for advancing the strip, a prime mover for driving the strip-advancing means, and means for varying the speed of the strip-advancing means permanently while the machine is in operation and while maintaining constant the speed of the prime mover.

4. In a machine for handling strip material, strip-advancing means. means for temporarily varying the speed of the strip-advancing means to vary the setting of the strip, and means for ermanently varying the speed of the strip-a vancing means, each of said means being operable While the machine is in operation.

In a machine for handling strip material. strip-advancing means comprising a pair of feed rollers, means for temporarily varying the peripheral speed of said feed rollers to vary the setting of the strip, and means for permanently varying the surface speed of the feed rollers, each of said means being operable while the machine is in operation.

6. In a machine for handling strip material, a prime mover, means for temporarily varying the linear speed of astrip being handled to vary its setting, and means for permanently varying the linear speed of the strip. each of said means being operative while the machine is in operation and while maintaining constant the speed of the prime mover.

7. In a machine for handling strip materail, a prime mover, means for temporarily and means for permanently varying the linear speed of a stri being advanced by the machine, each of sai means being operative with the prim-e mover in operation and running at constant speed.

8. In a machine for handling strip materials, means for temporarily and means-for permanently varying the linear speed of the strip, each of said means being operative with the strip in motion.

' 9. In a machine for handling strip materials, means for temporarily and means for permanently varying the linear speed of the strip, said means being operative independently of each other and while the strip is in motion.

10. In a machine for handling strip mateair of feed rollers for advancing a strip 0 material, a prime mover, a variable drive and diflerential interposed between the prime mover and said rollers for transmission of power from the prime mover to the feed rollers, and means for varying the action of the said drive and differential to permanently vary the surface speed of the feed rollers while maintaining constant the speed of the primer mover.

11. In a machine for handling strip material, a pair of feed rollers for advancing a strip of material, means including a pair of differentials for transmitting power from a prime mover to said rollers to drive the same, and means for adjusting one of said differentials thereb to vary the other of said differentials to e ect a momentary variation in the surface speed of the said feed rollers and operative while the differentials are in operation.

12. In a machine for handling strip material, the combination of strip-advancing means, drive mechanism therefor including a pair of differentials, and means for shifting the housing of one differential to effect a change in the relation of the two differentials to vary momentarily the speed of the stripadvancing means.

13. In a machine for handling strip material, the combination of a pair of feed rollers for advancing a strip, drive mechanism therefor including a pair of differentials, and means for shifting the housing of one differential to shift the pinions carried thereby, to effect a change in the relation of the two differentials to vary momentarily the surface speed of the rollers.

14. In a machine for handlin strip material, the combination of a pair 0 feed rollers for advancing a strip, drive mechanism for the rollers including a pair of differentials, the housing of one differential normally being stationary, and means for rotating said normally stationary differential housing to vary the relation between the two difi'erentials, said change efi'ectin a change in surface speed of the said ro lers with a corre sponding change in linear speed of the strip.

15. In a machine for handling strip material, the combination of a pair of feed rollers for advancing a strip, a prime mover, means inter osed between the prime mover and rollers or transmission of power to said rollers, means for permanently varying said power transmitting means, and electrically operated means for adjusting the said intermediate means to vary temporarily the surface speed of the feed rollers, each of said means being operative while the machine is in operation and the prime mover running at constant speed.

16. In a machine for handlin stri material, the combination of a pair 0 fee rollers for advancing a strip, a prime mover for driving said rollers, means for permanently varying the surface speed of said feed rollers, and electrically operated means for varying the surface speed of said rollers momentarily, each of said means being operative while the machine is in operation and the speed of the prime mover remains unvaried.

6 17. In a machine for ha-ndlin strip material, the combination of a air feed rollers for advancing a strip, riving mechanism for said rollers includlng a pair of difl'erentials, the housing of one of said differentials 10 normally remaining stationary, and a reversible electric motor adapted selectively to rotate said normally stationary differential housing to vary the relation of the two differentials correspondingly to vary the surface s eed of the feed rollers.

18. n a machine for handling strip material, the combination of a pair of feed rollers for advancing a strip, driving mechanism for said rollers including a pair of diflerentials, and electrically operated means for varying the relation of said differentials to vary temporarily the surface speed of said rollers.

19. In a machine for handling strip material a pair of feed rollers for advancing a strip of material, means including a air of difi'erentials for transmitting ower rom a prime mover to said rollers to rive the same, means for adjusting one of said differentials an thereby to vary the other and efiect a momentary variation in the surface speed of the said feed rollers, and means for effecting a permanent variation in the surface speedof the feed rollers without varying the speed of 3:, the prime mover.

20. In a machine for handling strip material the combination of strip advancing means, drive mechanism therefor including a pair of differentials, means for shifting the 40 ousing of one differential to effect a change in the relation of the two differentials momentarily to vary the speed of the strip advancing means, and means operative without adj ustmg the relation of the said differentials 4 for efiecting a permanent alteration of the speed of the strip advancing means.

This specification signed this 22 day of Mch. 192 ADOLPH POTDEVIN. 

